1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of BFE. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?” The play is set in "BFE" which stands for Bum Fuck Egypt. Because of the symbolism and descriptive words she uses to describe her surroundings we believe the play is set in the midwest somewhere, probably Arizona, Kansas, Nebraska or Nevada. The time is the nineties. It is during the school year but the cast are not wearing heavy clothing so we believe it is probably spring time. The main play is centered around Panny and her friendship with a much older guy named Hugo. We have her mother, Isabel, who is a homebody. Lefty is Panny's uncle and he starts a relationship with a coworker named Evvie. Then we have "The Man" who is abducting and murdering pretty young blonde girls. Nancy is one of Panny's "friends" and she is an intended victim. This is our main cast. The situation starts with Panny obviously as an outsider in her world. She has an unstable homelife and really just wants to be accepted. We begin to see all the building blocks of each characters relationships with one another.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play? Like most plays there seem to be a couple of intrusions that break the stasis of the play. Unlike some of the other plays we have read, BFE is curious in the sense that it tells a couple of stories at one time. With Lefty's story the intrusion is him meeting Evvie and falling in love. This shakes up his world as he knows it. The second intrusion for him is Lefty's decision to leave home and move in with Evvie. In Isabel's story the intrusion is when she falls so low in life that she sleeps with a much younger Pizza delivery guy named Jack. In Panny's story the intrusion begins to unfurl when she goes to meet Hugo and he flees from her when he realizes she had been lying to him about her age.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor that is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place? I do not think there is much of a specific rhyme or reason for this time period. This story is universal and classic in the sense that the characters in the story experience a lack of belonging. This story can really be applied to any time period. It might be interesting when redoing the play if it was taken in a different direction and made more futuristic or something.
4. State the dramatic question or questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.) 1. Will Panny ever feel like she belongs. 2. Will Hugo ever forgive Panny and will Panny find her niche? 3. Will Lefty and Evvie end up together? 4. Will Isabel figure herself out? 5. Will they catch the murdering man? 6. Will Panny ever be comfortable with herself?
5. Use Panny, Isabelle, or Lefty to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is the dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Trifles the wants of Ms. Hale change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles for one of the three designated characters.. Panny wants to be pretty and she believes that will help her to be accepted. She has a unstable emotional home life and wants some sort of sense of belonging. She lacks a sense of representation in the magazines. She is forgotten by her mother and comes in thoughts to her uncle but even then he is distracted and unobservant. Panny makes an effort to hangout with Nancy a white girl she looks up to in a sense because shes pretty. She reads magazines about makeup and pretty models and actresses. She crushes on a boy older than her but tells him he wont like the way she looks. She faces struggles the big one is Me against myself. She feels like she cannot change who she is until the end when she gets surgery to have bigger eyes like the models she sees in the magazine. She is left alone and has to fend for herself all the while not understanding and not wanting who she really is
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. In your estimation what is the most theatrical moment in BFE and what happens during that moment which is so important to the outcome of the play? When Panny is abducted by "The Man" this is important because it is so metaphorical. Her mother has been telling her forever how the guy only takes pretty girls. Panny has always compared herself to these girls. So whens he is abducted she is scared and unsure and knows that he will do bad things to her. Though this is true she still questions and wonders aloud why he chose her? Maybe she is pretty. Maybe she is special. Then all this comes crashing down when he carves UGLY into her stomach. He beats her up and leaves her because she is not pretty enough for him to even kill and take advantage of. This fate is almost worse then the other because in Panny's mind it confirms her greatest fear. She is ugly and she is not special. Though this is obviously twisted and warped and we can see that as an audience it speaks volumes to her personally. This can be seen when she comes out of the ordeal and decides to get her surgery to make her eyes bigger and more "Pretty." Not only is Panny's Story changed during this time period. There is like a freeze frame during this time and we see Lefty's world with Evvie dissolves because Evvie does not want to have Panny or anymore children in her house but Lefty refuses to leave her behind because he knows Isabel cannot take care of her. This relationship takes a dip and we do not know the outcome but are led to believe it ends there because that is how the play ends it. Then we have Isabel that is left behind by the young pizza guy who cannot remember her name and then once again left behind by the fictitious army general lover that she has created for her lonely mind. These situations bring all the characters emotions, distractions, desires etc into light. There is no resolution and there is no happy ending.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in BFE. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”) 1. Plastic Surgery- the fact that Panny's mother tells her she doesnt have to worry about her daughter with all the kidnappings because he is only taking pretty girls. Then Isabel goes on to offer to pay for Panny's plastic surgery. These all show the lack of support Panny has. This helps ud understand her self image issues. 2. Lefty's Magical figures- They provide an escape to a world that he has control in. He has no control in his own world and has to support a family that is not even the one he chose. His sister does not appreciate him and yet constantly complains. The figures he designs and paints give him something to focus on and something of his own to create not only as an escape, control, artistic expression, but as so much more. In this world he can be himself and through it in a way he met Evvie. He gives her a piece and she likes it and they bond. 3. Lefty's present to Panny- The earrings he gave her and lovely and he tried for her. He loves Panny but he is unobservant. This shows that even though he loves her she is not his number one priority. This reiterates what we know of Panny as she is completely alone.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in BFE. race, pedophilia, age, americanism, rape, murder, image, immigration, family relationships, relationships in general, etc
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with BFE? Is family redefined in BFE and if so, in what ways? Family is redefined in BFE. We have a nontraditional nuclear family of sister, brother, and niece. This is not the traditional husband and wife with children family. So we already have that change. Then the family roles are all mixed up inside it as well. Panny is very resourceful. She has to do most things for herself and has a lot of independence from that. Lefty is the main caregiver for Panny and Panny's mother basically is just taken care of and has no idea about anyone else's world. It is a strange family and not necessarily a good one.
The play is set in "BFE" which stands for Bum Fuck Egypt. Because of the symbolism and descriptive words she uses to describe her surroundings we believe the play is set in the midwest somewhere, probably Arizona, Kansas, Nebraska or Nevada. The time is the nineties. It is during the school year but the cast are not wearing heavy clothing so we believe it is probably spring time. The main play is centered around Panny and her friendship with a much older guy named Hugo. We have her mother, Isabel, who is a homebody. Lefty is Panny's uncle and he starts a relationship with a coworker named Evvie. Then we have "The Man" who is abducting and murdering pretty young blonde girls. Nancy is one of Panny's "friends" and she is an intended victim. This is our main cast. The situation starts with Panny obviously as an outsider in her world. She has an unstable homelife and really just wants to be accepted. We begin to see all the building blocks of each characters relationships with one another.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play?
Like most plays there seem to be a couple of intrusions that break the stasis of the play. Unlike some of the other plays we have read, BFE is curious in the sense that it tells a couple of stories at one time. With Lefty's story the intrusion is him meeting Evvie and falling in love. This shakes up his world as he knows it. The second intrusion for him is Lefty's decision to leave home and move in with Evvie. In Isabel's story the intrusion is when she falls so low in life that she sleeps with a much younger Pizza delivery guy named Jack. In Panny's story the intrusion begins to unfurl when she goes to meet Hugo and he flees from her when he realizes she had been lying to him about her age.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor that is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
I do not think there is much of a specific rhyme or reason for this time period. This story is universal and classic in the sense that the characters in the story experience a lack of belonging. This story can really be applied to any time period. It might be interesting when redoing the play if it was taken in a different direction and made more futuristic or something.
4. State the dramatic question or questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
1. Will Panny ever feel like she belongs.
2. Will Hugo ever forgive Panny and will Panny find her niche?
3. Will Lefty and Evvie end up together?
4. Will Isabel figure herself out?
5. Will they catch the murdering man?
6. Will Panny ever be comfortable with herself?
5. Use Panny, Isabelle, or Lefty to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is the dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Trifles the wants of Ms. Hale change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles for one of the three designated characters..
Panny wants to be pretty and she believes that will help her to be accepted. She has a unstable emotional home life and wants some sort of sense of belonging. She lacks a sense of representation in the magazines. She is forgotten by her mother and comes in thoughts to her uncle but even then he is distracted and unobservant. Panny makes an effort to hangout with Nancy a white girl she looks up to in a sense because shes pretty. She reads magazines about makeup and pretty models and actresses. She crushes on a boy older than her but tells him he wont like the way she looks. She faces struggles the big one is Me against myself. She feels like she cannot change who she is until the end when she gets surgery to have bigger eyes like the models she sees in the magazine. She is left alone and has to fend for herself all the while not understanding and not wanting who she really is
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. In your estimation what is the most theatrical moment in BFE and what happens during that moment which is so important to the outcome of the play?
When Panny is abducted by "The Man" this is important because it is so metaphorical. Her mother has been telling her forever how the guy only takes pretty girls. Panny has always compared herself to these girls. So whens he is abducted she is scared and unsure and knows that he will do bad things to her. Though this is true she still questions and wonders aloud why he chose her? Maybe she is pretty. Maybe she is special. Then all this comes crashing down when he carves UGLY into her stomach. He beats her up and leaves her because she is not pretty enough for him to even kill and take advantage of. This fate is almost worse then the other because in Panny's mind it confirms her greatest fear. She is ugly and she is not special. Though this is obviously twisted and warped and we can see that as an audience it speaks volumes to her personally. This can be seen when she comes out of the ordeal and decides to get her surgery to make her eyes bigger and more "Pretty."
Not only is Panny's Story changed during this time period. There is like a freeze frame during this time and we see Lefty's world with Evvie dissolves because Evvie does not want to have Panny or anymore children in her house but Lefty refuses to leave her behind because he knows Isabel cannot take care of her. This relationship takes a dip and we do not know the outcome but are led to believe it ends there because that is how the play ends it.
Then we have Isabel that is left behind by the young pizza guy who cannot remember her name and then once again left behind by the fictitious army general lover that she has created for her lonely mind.
These situations bring all the characters emotions, distractions, desires etc into light. There is no resolution and there is no happy ending.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in BFE. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
1. Plastic Surgery- the fact that Panny's mother tells her she doesnt have to worry about her daughter with all the kidnappings because he is only taking pretty girls. Then Isabel goes on to offer to pay for Panny's plastic surgery. These all show the lack of support Panny has. This helps ud understand her self image issues.
2. Lefty's Magical figures- They provide an escape to a world that he has control in. He has no control in his own world and has to support a family that is not even the one he chose. His sister does not appreciate him and yet constantly complains. The figures he designs and paints give him something to focus on and something of his own to create not only as an escape, control, artistic expression, but as so much more. In this world he can be himself and through it in a way he met Evvie. He gives her a piece and she likes it and they bond.
3. Lefty's present to Panny- The earrings he gave her and lovely and he tried for her. He loves Panny but he is unobservant. This shows that even though he loves her she is not his number one priority. This reiterates what we know of Panny as she is completely alone.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in BFE.
race, pedophilia, age, americanism, rape, murder, image, immigration, family relationships, relationships in general, etc
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with BFE? Is family redefined in BFE and if so, in what ways?
Family is redefined in BFE. We have a nontraditional nuclear family of sister, brother, and niece. This is not the traditional husband and wife with children family. So we already have that change. Then the family roles are all mixed up inside it as well. Panny is very resourceful. She has to do most things for herself and has a lot of independence from that. Lefty is the main caregiver for Panny and Panny's mother basically is just taken care of and has no idea about anyone else's world. It is a strange family and not necessarily a good one.